I'm never sure of the point of not naming narrators apart from to make it harder for a reviewer to write their thoughts... But here we are. Back in the past, our unnamed narrator (UN) arrives at Cambridge University, determined to shed his past. He's working class and from the north of England and didn't go to the "right" school. If you couple all that with the fact that he is now a small fish in an enormous pond rather than the big fish/small pond he used to be means that he has to work hard to break through... Falling under the spell of peer Bryn Cavendish does his prospects no harm, or does it...
Meanwhile, we catch up with him in the present when he is returning to his old college, and it becomes evident that he has more than one ghost to lay to rest...
And that's all I am saying as you really need to discover all the gory details as the author intends. It's all a bit convoluted and interconnected so even hinting at anything might spoil things but suffice to say things are about to get weird...
I think I enjoyed this book. I definitely have questions though, none that I can ask here, obviously. Which means that I didn't get the completely satisfied feeling as I finished it. But, despite that, it was a decent enough read to hold my attention all the way through and created characters that although a bit hard to connect to completely, certainly intrigued me. I did struggle a bit with UN as I thought he was better and smarter to have been sucked into the world in which he found himself but I guess he was that determined to "fit in with the cool kids" and shed his past that he would have done anything...? It's haunting and magical and Gothic in nature and tone and I think that the book relies on these things rather than actual storyline which I found to be a bit disjointed. There's probably too much going on which dilutes the really good stuff - Peter Warlock - and sheds focus on the sleight of hand which didn't really tickle me as much. Also, that ending which really didn't satisfy.
But all that said, it's a very accomplished and brave debut book as it certainly goes its own way. I am definitely going to be looking out for what the author serves up for next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I was sent an advance copy of And He Shall Appear by Kate van der Borgh to read and review by NetGalley. This is a novel about relationships, aspirations and obsession:; the need to feel included and the compulsion to do whatever may be required to become accepted. I’m not sure that I actually liked any of the characters, but the addition of magic into the story made it quite compelling. While I wasn’t actually yearning to get back to the book between reading sessions I do think that it is worthy of 4 stars, and I am sure there will be many readers who feel that it is worth more.

Dark and disturbing, And He Shall Appear takes us into the world of Cambridge University. The elite group curated by Bryn Cavendish shines bright and our narrator is desperate to be accepted in to this group.
At times an uncomfortable and awkward read with unlikeable characters, but this makes you read on to find out what actually happened.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read And He Shall Appear.

Dark Academia, Mysterious goings on, Love and heartbreak and a sprinkling of the unknown… there is no way you can read the synopsis of this and not want to read it, and you already know if it’s going to be your vibe, so do yourself a favour and pick it up!

The beginning felt far too slow for me, and perhaps I didn’t give it enough of a chance, as this book truly seems like it would be right up my alley. That said, I believe many others would thoroughly enjoy it.

A refreshingly unique contemporary Gothic tale in the academic setting of Cambridge University. Well-structured, the novel feels well-researched and is the best fictional narrative I've read for a while. The two timelines — the narrator's past and present — mostly work reasonably well. Many authors who use this device, do so clumsily and the narrative ends up feeling awkward and clunky. Just when I'd given up on the current state of the publishing industry this book comes along to give me a tiny nugget of hope.

The pagination is a mess and occasionally it feels as though there's a section missing, but hopefully that will be put right before the novel is officially published.

Many thanks to the publishers and to Netgalley for the ARC.

The darkness and danger element amps up throughout the book, it kept me drawn in the whole way through, the characters were also so well written.

A dark academia ghost story set largely in Cambridge in 2001 onwards. Returning to the college he studied at the unnamed narrator, now a music teacher, is here to be a judge for a music scholarship set up in memory of his friend Bryn Cavendish. The narrator is from a northern working class background and won a scholarship himself. Most of the other students are from wealthy backgrounds, including Bryn. Really well written although I did find it a bit of slow burn, but definitely worth the wait.

Briefly, feeling very much an outsider he does make friends with some others who are not part of the ‘in crowd’. But then he gradually becomes part of Bryn’s crowd and leaves his other friends behind. However, his friendship with Bryn is not a healthy one, he is obsessed with both Bryn and later Bryn’s girlfriend Alexa. Bryn has followed in his father’s footsteps and is a skilful magician, but his magic is often at the expense of his friends and is dark and mysterious rather than entertaining.

The is it or isn’t it man-made magic or something more supernatural is done really well. The two main characters are well fleshed. Bryn is a spoiled, wealthy, manipulative boy who expects to get whatever he wants with no care at all for who he hurts; this is clearly, in part, related to his upbringing, particularly his father. The narrator also has father issues, he has an inferiority complex that makes him willing to put up with all kinds of unacceptable treatment. A ghostly, dark academia novel with a nod to the occult and some interesting musical elements and composers (Peter Warlock was a name I didn’t know and I’ve since researched). A compelling and engaging read.

The Secret History meets Saltburn and In My Dreams I Hold a Knife.

An unnamed narrator feels out of his depth studying music at Cambridge amidst people moving in a whole other world - separated by class, connection, and finesse.
He becomes entranced by Bryn, the centre of everyone’s life at their college. Our narrator falls into their group, entangling himself in Bryn’s life, cherishing every intimate moment as he neglects other aspects of his life (education, friendship, morality).

However, Bryn’s obsession with magic and deception and identity creates a foreboding sense that something will unravel. Something dark creeping up on our narrator that he has ignored whilst being on Bryn’s good side.

This carried a feeling of jittery danger. Our narrator creates an unnerving equilibrium: feeling inexplicably and inexpressibly unsettled by Bryn while never wanting to leave his side.

The writing was beautiful. It reminded me of The Secret History, where the prose is as enchanting as the story.

<b>'Do you think a person can ever really be happy, being The Lover?'
I shrugged. 'I presume most Lovers don't realise that's what they are. And maybe it's worse to be The Loved, knowing that you don't feel that intense passion that you're supposed to feel. Yeah, The Loved get all the adoration, but they get the guilt too?’
‘I guess both The Lover and The Loved can be happy so long as they can persuade themselves there's no such thing.’
</b>
The acts were not as diabolical as TSH or Saltburn.
I did like how you are forced to decide on how representation and interpretation changes the tone of a story. How a retelling can render things different to different people.

<b>Some people say were our true selves when we think nobody is watching. But how do we know our own identities without others confiming gaze? If, like the tree falling in the proverbial wood, nobody is around to hear us, is our story a story at all?
</b>
Perhaps some of the suspense and thrill was taken away as this was told from our narrator reflecting back as an adult.

The ending similarly felt lack lustre and I think we also lacked sufficient explanation of our narrator’s current life apart from judging on a music panel which is what brought him back to Cambridge.

It was four stars until the ending!⭐️🥺

Thank you to 4th Estate for sending me a physical arc in exchange for a review.

This was such a delicious read to dive into - atmospheric, mysterious, exciting but dark, comfortably nostalgic but unnerving. The slow change in our protagonist as he is drawn to and influenced by the magnetic Bryn among the walls of Cambridge University is something I couldn't look away from. The reader is constantly asking themselves what Bryn is doing, and how, and then these questions circle round to whether he's really doing anything at all, and then back again into the loop from the very beginning. The ending is satisfying in that it does bring us to a point where we can learn many of these things, but like the nature of the story and its characters, there's something ephemeral on every page. This is a story whose atmosphere will follow you in the real world - especially, I imagine, if you happen to be in Cambridge or in a traditionally academic setting such as the university.

I loved this dark book set in Cambridge University- exploring privilege and friendship, obsession and power. I swept through this book, almost peaking through my fingers at what would happen next- the menacing undertones really pull you in! Very well written.

And He Shall Appear by Kate van der Borgh definitely brings the dark to dark academia, this is a disturbing tale of obsession, revenge and the fallibility of memory. Though not always pleasant reading it is certainly mesmerising, drawing the reader in to a story that manages to be both believable and terrifying at the same time.
A young and naive music student from a humble background finds himself in Cambridge where he quickly falls under the literal spell of fellow student Bryn Cavendish. Bryn is everything that he is not, worldly, charming and from the right background. He has a wide social circle and loves to party, often entertaining the revellers with magic tricks that sometimes have a sinister edge, especially if he feels that he has been betrayed. When Bryn turns on our unnamed narrator, he starts to reevaluate the supposed friendship, and begins to wonder if there is something sinister behind the power and influence that Bryn uses to get his way, a question that the reader will also have to ponder as the book unfolds.
This book had an almost claustrophobic feel , I felt like I was trapped inside it. The characters were unlikeable yet still I was caught up in their story and as that story unfolded there were moments I found genuinely unsettling and creepy. The exploration of class and privilege was excellent and I thing that those who are looking for a book that will leave them a little on edge will find just what they are looking for here.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

I hate to DNF an arc, something I almost never do, but I just can’t read any more..

It’s really not for me. The pacing is too slow, and the chapters too long. I’m 25% in and nothing of note has happened yet and more importantly I haven’t connected with any of the characters. I understand the author has likely made a deliberate choice to portray the characters in the way they have, but I need to feel something for someone to make it worth my while, even if it’s to hate them!

The narrator is incredibly boring and it feels very much like the beginning of Saltburn (which I also didn’t like). I guess that should have given me a clue before I even began but I do like dark academia and stories of dark obsession so thought this might be a good read, sadly it just didn’t work for me. This book does have lots of 5 star and positive reviews though so likely just not the right fit for me as opposed to being a bad book.

was drawn to this on #netgalley as it was blurbed to be a campus, dark academia novel. Perhaps I should have read that blurb better, as it‘s also about magic, which I‘m not a fan of.

It‘s the same-old story of a student from a poor background trying to fit in with the rich kids at Cambridge.

It would have been a so-so but the ending lifted it to a light pick.

Kate van Der Borgh has crafted a beautiful slice of dark academia with And He Shall Appear, which evokes such works as The Secret History by Donna Tartt. The story is always engaging and whips along at a fair pace. I really enjoyed my time with this one.
Thank you to the publishers for the ARC.

3.5 sstars rounded up

This story is about a young musician from a working class background who attends Cambridge University and he tries to befriend a group of entitled, wealthy students. He becomes obsessed with Bryn whose father had been a magician and had dabbled with the occult.

The pace is slow to begin with, but it soon picks up. We get descriptions of life at Cambridge University. It's quite spooky and has some creepy goings on. Bryn is into black magic. We also have an unnamed narrator who is obsessed with Bryn. The story has a dual timeline. I did find myself questioning some things, and I liked the music references.

Published 16th January 2025

I would like to thank #NetGalley #4thEstateWilliamCollins and the author #KateVanDerBerg for my ARC of #AndHeShallAppear in exchange of an honest review.

This is not my usual genre but I'm trying to expand my options. The nameless narrator of this book, comprehensive educated, arrives at Cambridge feeling that he really doesn't fit. He's lacking the necessary 'cultural capital' needed to thrive. He becomes besotted and mesmerised by Bryn Cavendish, leader of an elite clique and also a magician. This book is very reminiscent of The Secret History, it being a very dark and unsettling tale. I'm not sure I can say that I enjoyed reading this book mainly to the genre I think. Thanks to Netgalley though for giving me the chance to read and review it.

A little spooky, and unsettling. Great storyline and I was absorbed all the way through. Little twist at the ending. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy

I read this on the plane coming over to the US for Christmas, and remember little of its details now, apart from the twist ending being incredibly sad. As dark academia goes, I'd say this is on the higher-quality end of the spectrum, although there are a lot of very familiar beats and plot devices (so much so that, having written a book almost exactly like it, I found myself faintly embarrassed by my own predictability): music, Oxbridge, sexually confused young men, charismatic young men, the allure of power and wealth, power and wealth's disregard for those who worship it. It's well written, though, and it asks questions about why we find these sorts of stories compelling—what that says about us.

I’m sorry to say this book was not for me. The characters were not relatable and made it very difficult to engage.

I received an ARC through #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.